National Tax Day: taking on Tax Dodgers and Senator Toomey

On April 17th was the deadline for the majority of Americans to turn in their taxes. However, many corporations in our area do not have such concerns. Due to loopholes, non-profit status, and favorable legislation many do not pay nearly the same rate, if at all, as working Americans.

To protest the tax “dodging” practices of corporations such as PNC Bank, UPMC, EQT, Verizon, and BNY Mellon a large group of protestors headed by Occupy Pittsburgh and One Pittsburgh gathered in Market Square to play Tax Dodgeball.

Various members of the 99% grabbed dodgeballs representing the fair share of taxes owed by corporations, as protestors in suits representing aforementioned corporations tried to dodge the taxes with the help of more protestors in suits acting as politicians and loopholes.

At first the 1% were able to block any taxes thrown by the 99%. By the end, having had too much, the 99% were able to corral the corporations and politicians in the middle of Market Square and bombard them with dodgeballs.

After the lighthearted affair attention turned to a politican of the 1% and for the 1%, Pat Toomey. The night before the U.S. Senate

protestors get locked out of Toomey's Office

blocked the passage of the Buffet Bill via filibuster ensuring that, even though the majority senators voted for it, that the 1% would not have to pay any more towards their fair share in taxes. Toomey himself was on the forefront of this attack, ridiculing it as bad economic policy and invoking the slippery slope fallacy by saying it would lead to higher taxes for the middle class.

One Pittsburgh marched from Market Square to Station Square where Toomey’s Pittsburgh office was to demand answers. Toomey was not in Pittsburgh, but his represenatives in the office refused to even so much as explain his position to his constituents. Instead, One Pittsburgh was locked out of their office.

The events of the day gained coverage both near and far as publications such as the Post-Gazette in Pittsburgh and the Guardian in the UK took note of the actions in Pittsburgh. It is becoming harder and harder to ignore that the 99% are not backing down from the economic and political realities working against them.

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